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CANADIAN BEACON REGISTRY

The Canadian Beacon Registry is maintained by the National Search and Rescue Secretariat. The Registry contains basic owner information on the following types of emergency beacons:

• Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs)
• Emergency Positioning Indicator Radio Beacons (EPIRBs)
• Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs)

These beacons, when activated, send a distress signal through the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. This signal serves two purposes:

• it alerts the rescue services that a distress situation exists
• it provides information on the location of the distress situation.

This allows rescue resources to respond more quickly and save lives.

The information contained in the Registry, provided through registration cards which are distributed with each beacon sold, is not available to the public. It is provided solely to the Canadian Mission Control Centre (CMCC) in Canada for use in responding to emergency beacon signals received via the satellite system. The information provided allows the CMCC staff to identify the source of the signal and to perform a preliminary verification of the distress call.

If you have an emergency beacon of the types listed above, you should ensure the Registry has the correct information recorded. Online access to the Registry is now available for all beacon owners to register new beacons, update their information and receive automatic confirmation. You may also contact the Registry by e-mail or by telephone at 1-800-727-9414.